


minutes to seconds

by jungs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 22:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10603320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jungs/pseuds/jungs
Summary: “What’s your favorite part about Chiangmai?” Ten breaks the silence easily, and Jaehyun is grateful for the distraction. He pauses from drying Ten’s hair while thinking.There’s a beat, and then: “The sunrise,” Jaehyun answers truthfully.





	

**Author's Note:**

> so.. if you couldnt tell already, this is extremely self indulgent. after watching nct life in cm i just really wanted to write something off the fact that jaehyun and ten got bedded together, and this popped out on impulse as a result. this ship doesnt really seem to get any attention but im hoping that changes soon ;; comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!

Jaehyun wakes up early. It’s a habit for him, the internal alarm clock in his body making him the first to rise out of all the roommates he’s ever had (save for perhaps Taeyong, whose responsibility as leader combined with slight perfectionist tendencies has always managed to have Jaehyun waiting for his turn to use the bathrooms in the morning). 

He prefers it that way, liking the way he’s always the first to use the hot water when he showers, always the first dress up and get ready just in time for breakfast. 

If Jaehyun wakes up early enough, he’ll let himself lie in bed for just a couple moments, watching the rest of the world rise from its slumber outside his window. He watches the sun emerge from the horizon, its glowing rays illuminating the sky. Shades of orange and yellow mix with pale blue, and if Jaehyun’s risen particularly early, he manages to catch streaks of indigo and lavender, evidence of nighttime yet to fade. 

Jaehyun finds he likes these mornings the best; watching the sunrise is a chance for him to relax, to sit and enjoy his time without the ever-looming pressure of his busy idol schedule. It’s a good opportunity for him to think, too, those few minutes of peaceful silence, but Jaehyun rarely ever does. Instead, he observes the sky with a clear mind, void of worries or stresses or protruding thoughts. 

He finds that, aside from habit, it’s not his own responsibilities that keep him constantly waking early—though Jaehyun catches Donghyuck get a scolding from the managers and Taeyong both for sleeping in on more than one occasion, and decides immediately that it’s better he’s the first up after all—he wakes up for the sunrise.

Being in Chiangmai doesn’t change his sleeping schedule one bit, though Jaehyun admits he’s suffering a bit from the jetlag. Sure enough, though, once Jaehyun wakes up he finds Doyoung and Ten still fast asleep, their collective soft snores and deep breathing filling the room. Seoul or not, his body still manages to make Jaehyun the first up. 

Except this time, it’s different. Chiangmai has a different air than Seoul completely; instead of being met with the city life and constant buzz that Jaehyun is so used to, he’s greeted with lush greenery and the soothing melodies of birds and mountains. Even the Bangkok city life is different; Jaehyun remembers how Bangkok breathes with a different sort of energy than Seoul, a different sort of life. 

The thoughts of Bangkok make Jaehyun’s mind drift to Ten, and eventually, his eyes follow suite. The early morning not-yet-light washes the entire room in a pale, bluish tint; it takes a moment for Jaehyun’s eyes to adjust and focus on Ten in the almost-dark, expression still in slumber, chest rising and falling slowly.

Jaehyun has never doubted Ten’s handsomeness, but seeing him like this gives Jaehyun the chance to view the older in a different light. During the day, he and Ten both have their faces coated with makeup for the cameras; everything is covered, from blemishes to red spots and dark circles. Anything that can count as a mistake, a flaw. Ten, Jaehyun finds, is completely unneeding of makeup, because Ten is already flawless.

Ten’s face is all made up of sharp angles, fair skin stretching over high cheekbones and narrowing downwards to create a strong chin and jaw, a perfect, high-bridged nose leading to soft, heart-shaped lips. Dark strands of hair fall into his face, and his lashes fan out delicately in his sleep. Jaehyun’s stomach twists oddly, his heart suddenly a bit too loud in his chest, and he stares at Ten for so long he doesn’t even realize he misses the sunrise. 

 

Eventually, Jaehyun does get up and complete his morning routine, managing to brush his teeth, shower, and dress in a matter of less than fifteen minutes. Unlike his waking up early, it’s a skill rather than a habit, one he’s earned from months of idol life and years of trainee life beforehand. By the time he’s all set and walks out of the bathroom, he’s met face to face with a groggy Doyoung, who seems to just have woken up himself. Doyoung shuffles past him without so much as a glance, much less a word of good morning, and locks the bathroom door behind him. Jaehyun hears the squeak of the shower, and the sound of running water; Doyoung isn’t the most enthusiastic person in the mornings. 

After a bit of contemplation, Jaehyun makes it back over to his and Ten’s shared bed, where Ten still lays sleeping. By now, Ten has both taken the entire blanket for himself and changed his position, now curled into a ball with his face tucked into the pillow, the white comforter cocooned around him. _Cute,_ Jaehyun thinks, and bites back a fond smile. 

“Ten,” Jaehyun murmurs, shaking the elder’s shoulder gently. It takes a few moments of continuous shaking for the older boy to respond, and even then, it’s simply a groan as Ten buries his face further into his pillow. “Hyung, it’s time to wake up. Doyoung’s almost done showering.” Jaehyun says, and Ten shrugs his hand off his shoulder.

“Five more minutes,” Ten mumbles childishly, and Jaehyun snorts softly. “We have to make it in time for breakfast. All the others are already up,” Jaehyun presses further. And it’s true; he’d heard voices down the hallway from Taeyong and Johnny’s shared room earlier, Taeyong’s persistent and showing the slightest signs of exasperation, while Johnny’s own voice an inaudible rumble, rough from sleep. Jaehyun figures he and Taeyong were having a conversation much similar to the one he and Ten are having currently.

After a bit of coaxing from Jaehyun’s part, the older eventually does make it out of bed, eyes bleary. Ten’s hair is ruffled, sticking up slightly with bedhead, and Jaehyun averts his gaze because despite it, Ten still looks unnaturally handsome; if anything, the tousled hair makes him look even better. It’s enough to nearly make Jaehyun jealous, and it’s what he blames the odd and recurring twinges in his chest on whenever he glances at Ten. Jealousy.

Doyoung and Jaehyun are already all set once Ten finally makes his way inside of the bathroom, Jaehyun lying on his bed while Doyoung laid on his own, both on their phones. They hear a muffled squeal of metal from the bathroom as the shower knobs are turned, and then, shortly after, a loud yelp, followed by Ten shrieking, _“Who used all the hot water?”_

Jaehyun bites his tongue to suppress a laugh—at least he’s awake. 

 

The day passes by all too fast. Aside from the scenery, Jaehyun finds another thing difference between Chiangmai and Seoul: here, the time is almost nonexistent. Before he knows it, their day of filming is over and he’s lying in bed once more, Doyoung already tucked into his own. Though Jaehyun barely feels the time pass, there’s no mistaking their days are eventful, spent traveling and sight-seeing and filming takes over and over again, and once the lights are shut off he hears Doyoung snoring within minutes.

Light briefly spills from the bathroom as Ten pushes the door open, and Ten plants himself on the edge of their bed, having just finished dressing, his hair still wet from being the last to shower (again). Jaehyun pushes back the thick green curtains by the window by their bed, and pale white moonlight filters into the room, casting long shadows. By now Jaehyun’s eyes have adjusted to the lighting, and he finds himself a bit too preoccupied with the way the water droplets drip from the strands of Ten’s hair and down the nape of his long neck, his gaze following the drops as they vanish below the collar of Ten’s shirt. 

He manages to snap himself out of his own stupor by grabbing a spare towel off the bed and sitting up behind Ten, close enough so that he catches the pleasant citrus scent of the older’s shampoo. “Lean your head back,” Jaehyun instructs, and Ten obeys easily, tilting his head back so the younger could towel dry his hair. Jaehyun works the towel gently but thoroughly, and Ten hums contentedly, relaxing against Jaehyun’s chest. 

They stay like that in a comfortable silence, Jaehyun perhaps trying too hard to ignore the pressure of Ten’s slighter frame pressed to his chest, praying the other boy can’t feel Jaehyun’s heart beat against his back. 

“What’s your favorite part about Chiangmai?” Ten breaks the silence easily, and Jaehyun is grateful for the distraction. He pauses from drying Ten’s hair while thinking. 

There’s a beat, and then: “The sunrise,” Jaehyun answers truthfully. 

This seems to take Ten by surprise, because he turns suddenly to face him. “The sunrise? Really?”

Ten’s eyebrows are raised in incredulity, and he blinks at Jaehyun, delicate lashes fluttering up close in their close proximity. Jaehyun swallows, once more shoving down the odd twinge in his chest and the heat blooming in his stomach.

“Yeah, the sunrise. It’s different from the one in Seoul somehow. It’s… calmer. More serene. I like waking up and looking out at the mountains,” Jaehyun trails on, and when he says the word _serene,_ his mind briefly flashes him an image of a sleeping Ten, breathtakingly beautiful. 

“I’ve never watched the sunrise before,” Ten says, sounding nearly disappointed, eyes glassed over in thought. Jaehyun glances back up, catching Ten’s expression, and can’t help the soft grin that spreads across his face. _Cute,_ Jaehyun thinks again.

“I’ll wake you up early tomorrow so we can watch it together,” Jaehyun promises, and Ten beams at him, lips stretching into a dazzling smile that leaves Jaehyun just the slightest bit breathless. “It’s a deal,” Ten confirms. 

“But on one condition,” Jaehyun says abruptly, eyes suddenly vibrant. Ten looks at him, expectant, and Jaehyun grins, hand latching onto Ten’s wrist and pulling him backwards into the mattress with him. They automatically dissolve into a tangle of limbs, half-heartedly wrestling, struggling to smother their laughter as to not wake Doyoung up. “Kiss me goodnight?” Jaehyun then asks, after he’s pinned Ten to the bed with an arm around his waist. He bats his eyes for extra effect, deciding his history of doing aegyo for the cameras has most definitely paid off.

The request isn’t anything new. Ten and Jaehyun have kissed before on multiple occasions; always quick, playful pecks to the cheek, which is exactly what Ten gives Jaehyun now. Ten laughs before obliging, pressing a light kiss to Jaehyun’s cheek, and then his forehead. He knows Ten’s just toying with him but the feeling still makes Jaehyun’s heart flutter wildly in his chest and he wants to open his mouth to whine whenever Ten’s lips leave his skin. He never gets the chance to, though, because it’s then that Ten plants a last kiss to Jaehyun’s lips, soft and chaste. Jaehyun stills, every muscle in his body freezing in place. His heart runs a marathon while his mind lags behind in the dust, struggling to react. 

In the two seconds it takes for Jaehyun’s brain to clear, for the gears in his body to churn together and formulate a physical response, to _kiss back,_ Ten is already pulling away, and the wonderfully soft feeling of his lips leaves Jaehyun’s. “Goodnight, Jaehyunnie,” Ten whispers, tone sly and sing-song, his eyes glittering with a fleeting sort of mischief. “How’s that?” 

Jaehyun’s only response is leaning forward to catch Ten’s lips once more. 

Jaehyun gives an internal sigh of relief once Ten’s mouth is back on his, the sensation like bliss beyond belief. Ten’s lips are warm, tongue warmer, and he tastes like the sharp mint of his toothpaste; the kiss is long and slow and exhilarating in every sense and Jaehyun is positive he’s floating.

What finally grounds him is the feeling of Ten’s hands coming up the back of his neck, fingers running through his hair, tangling themselves slightly in Jaehyun’s blonde strands. His breath comes heavy as he pulls away, a string of saliva connecting his and Ten’s lips; Jaehyun doesn’t need a mirror to know he’s flushed bright red, his erratic heartbeat a sure reminder.

The first thing Ten does when they part is laugh, slightly breathless, dark eyes bright and sparkling. “I’ve thought about doing that for so long,” The older boy confesses, and Jaehyun bursts out laughing, burying his face into the crook of Ten’s neck to hide the way his face flushes deeper, as if it were still possible. “Trust me, hyung, I’ve thought about it longer,” Jaehyun breathes, smiling, and he wastes no time coming back up to kiss the foreign boy again. 

Jaehyun can feel Ten smiling against his lips, a laugh bubbling in the back of his throat as Jaehyun pulls him closer. Ten’s own arms purposefully wrap themselves around Jaehyun’s neck, and Jaehyun’s body burns all over wherever Ten touches him. 

They remain like that for a while, kissing in the dark, hands roaming across skin and under shirts. It’s when Jaehyun has his fingers tangled through Ten’s soft hair, still damp, and Ten’s lips are ghosting the shell of his ear that he comes to a realization, and pauses briefly. “You know, if we stay up too late, we won't wake up in time to see the sunrise,” Jaehyun whispers, and Ten buries his face into Jaehyun’s neck, pleading, “Five more minutes.”

This time, Jaehyun is all too happy to comply.


End file.
